Diamond Dolls
by Cammiebar
Summary: They didn't get back the dolls and they didn't escape from Cairo. Nine years later, Dave has officially filed the Chipmunks as dead and the Chipettes are in the middle of an international uproar over their imprisonment. Will they ever get back home? And how will they go on without their dear friends? Set as an alternative ending(?) to "The Chipmunk Adventure".
1. Chapter 1

**Alright, I know, I know. I haven't updated 'Vigilante' in forever. But I've been mulling over this story for a while now and I just had to start it. It's really short. Like, super-duper short. I guess it's a prologue. Well, whatever. This idea came about after watching "The Chipmunk Adventure". I was thinking, what would have happened if the Chipettes were unable to charm the snakes and escape from the palace in Cairo? Well, this is what I came up with. I hope it's not too weird, but I just have to put it into writing. **

**Once again, I do not own anything. At all. Seriously. **

'_This day marks nine years since the Chipettes, a band of three female chipmunks, have been held prisoner in Cairo. Talks and negotiations continue between the United States and Egypt for their return, although there seems to be no sign of change. David Seville, adoptive father of the internationally renowned band, the Chipmunks, states that he wishes to see the girls safely back home. This he expressed on the verge of the official announcement of the death of the Chipmunks since they have been missing since the girls had been captive. Back to you, Martha.'_

The bars on the windows were starting to show signs of wear due to the years of sand storms and wind. Each door was barred and locked from the outside, monitored most of the time during the day. They knew that the guards had gone lax with their duties in recent years, but it still wasn't a possible escape route. The chains on their ankles rattled as they moved across their suite in the most northern turret of the palace. It was a sure reminder of their gilded cage, more than anything else.

Frequently, the girls found themselves reminiscing, for lack of a better term, about how they came to this place in their lives. Some days, it was with a fond smile, while other days it was with anger. But each time elicited an emotion and reaction. Tonight was no different. However, the mood that overtook them was nothing short of sadness.

"I still can't believe it," Jeanette whispered quietly into her folded hands, her eyes wide and glistening with tears that she refused to let fall.

"It doesn't seem real. All of this just seems like a dream; a bad, bad dream." Eleanor was sitting next to Jeanette, her arm resting around Jeanette's shoulder. Her eyes were also teary.

Brittany remained silent, staring out through the bars of the window. Her tears had long since dried. She needed to be strong for her sisters and she needed to keep herself focused on any chance for them to escape back to their home and away from that crazy twerp. The dolls, which had led them to where they were now, had long since become unimportant. The reason behind everything had been revealed soon after their imprisonment and after the arrest of Claus and Claudia Burstein.

"But why? Why would Dave just give up on them like that? Does he have any proof?" Jeanette continued the conversation. She knew that she was just moving through the stages of grief, and she was currently involved with bargaining. Jeanette couldn't help it. There had to be something there to show how wrong it all was. There just had to be something to show that the boys would come back.

Eleanor shook her head sadly. It seemed as if Eleanor was quicker with her stages and was now in depression. "They found the balloon last year, Jeanette. There has been no sign of them since the contest. It's…it's crueler for us to hold on to hope rather than to just admit that they probably passed on."

Brittany rose up quickly, startling the other two. "I'll say. You know how those three would get. Never once did any of them think anything through. Idiots." Brittany clenched her fist. Jeanette glanced at a worried Eleanor. Brittany was slower than them, stuck in the stage of anger. But then, something struck her.

"Simon was against this from the start," Jeanette muttered out quietly before she could stop herself. In an instant, Brittany had turned around and was facing Jeanette. Her beautiful face that had attracted the sheik was contorted in a mixture of anger and sorrow. In a huff, Brittany walked across the room to their large bed and threw herself down on it, the chain on her ankle rattling as she did so. The room fell into silence until the unmistakable sound of sobbing bubbled up from Jeanette. Soon, Eleanor followed suit.

Brittany clenched her eyes shut, trying to drown out the color red with her sister's cries. It was the only thing she could visualize after nine years when she thought of him.


	2. Chapter 2

**New update when I should be working. Hooray for being lazy. Hope you enjoy! Onwards!**

"Tomorrow is the day that you will join the harem," the advisor to Brittany's fiancé told her as he bowed to bestow the newest gift to her. She rolled her eyes, unable to believe that the date had finally been set. She was usually pretty good at wiggling out of it, and she had done so without fail for the past two months. "He hopes that this will please you."

Brittany opened the lid to the ivory box and looked at her reflection in the many fractals of the giant ruby set as the center of a headpiece. He had finally learned that she valued gold and jewels, but the gifts that she had received over the years were nothing compared to what she truly wanted.

She looked away, refusing to speak to the advisor as he exited the room, making sure to lock it tight. Jeanette and Eleanor moved in closer to her, peering at the delicate treasure. "He's becoming more extravagant," Eleanor muttered, tracing the shape of the ruby.

"It's just to distract us from our cage." Brittany rose from her seat and paced the room, the chain dragging along the floor. "I refuse to marry that man. There can be no way that he can legally force me into this!"

"I don't think he can," Jeanette murmured thoughtfully. "If I have overheard the servants correctly, however, there is a lot of pressure to return us to the states. He must really love you to want to keep you here."

Brittany stopped and stared at Jeanette as if she didn't hear her right. "No," she chided Jeanette calmly but firmly. "He just wants an exotic bird for his collection."

"Then what do we do?"

Brittany shrugged her shoulders, wondering that herself. The past few days had been slow, but fast at the same time. They had spent their time as normally as they could, taking their lessons on learning the language and becoming women fit for the culture. Brittany was learning how to be a proper bride while her sisters were ladies in waiting. They ate their meals, were given time to walk the garden, and slept at night.

The only difference was the occasional thought or glance that they spared each other when they were reminded of something about their lost friends. They had been mourning as quietly as they could, still unable to believe that the boys had died, but starting to accept it. Since hope died with Dave, it was starting to die within them.

With a little huff, Brittany grasped the rusted metal bars of the window and stared out past the city and into the desert for as far as she could see. "I always thought that I would have married him."

"Before or after you two killed each other?" Eleanor asked. Jeanette smiled while Eleanor giggled. Brittany appeared offended but soon smiled too. It was laughter that was going to get them through their troubles.

The girls were interrupted by the sounds of the guards stirring outside the door and a warning whistle screeching out into the night. Something was going on inside the palace walls that had every person in a state of panic. Eleanor, the closet, threw herself at the window and peered out of it, searching the sea of people for any clue as to the commotion. But nothing was presenting itself.

"All of the palace guards are mobilized," Jeanette observed, stationing herself next to Eleanor.

"Quick," Brittany ordered, pointing to a corner of the room. Eleanor nodded and ran to it, pulling aside a short, wooden panel to expose a very small, metal saw. The girls had only just acquired it from a servant they were able to fool. Jeanette doubted that it would be good enough to get through the chains, but at this point, the girls were willing to try anything.

Once the saw was out, Brittany and Jeanette joined Eleanor on the floor and watched as Eleanor quickly moved to remove the shackle from her leg. Brittany nudged Jeanette and jerked her head to the window, silently telling Jeanette to keep watch. Jeanette nodded and shifted to the window, also keeping her eyes on the door. All the while, Eleanor kept on attempting to saw.

The minutes rolled by, Eleanor and Brittany taking turns on the chain that was attached to Eleanor's shackle. Jeanette continued to keep watch, amazed that whatever had happened hadn't escalated or dissipated in any way. Things were the same from the time the girls were woken up to now. The guards hadn't even bothered to check in on them. They were definitely busy.

It was at that time that a large boom resounded over the entire palace. The girls made eye contact with each other with wide eyes, all curious as to what the sound was and were it came from. But the movement of the guards now made sense. It seemed there was some sort of attack on the palace that was taken place.

'Maybe it's the UN forces coming to take us back?' Jeanette hoped while she gazed out the window. She was now able to spot smoke rising from the far South. She turned her head to notify her sisters of her suspicion of a bomb. Brittany and Eleanor seemed a little more nervous as they began to work quicker.

"You're starting to make a dent in it!" Brittany exclaimed. "Keep going."

Biting her lip and focusing her eyes, Eleanor moved with more vigor. Brittany cheered on, hoping to inspire her. Eleanor was deep in her concentration, and Jeanette couldn't figure out why Eleanor and Brittany were so excited. There was still a lot of metal to cut through, and they still had Brittany's chain and her own to cut through.

A small ting sound came to Jeanette's ears. She turned around to see Eleanor holding up the saw, the blade broken. Her face was one of disbelief. Brittany seemed stunned or shocked as to the turn of events. It just didn't seem real that the saw, which seemed to have been working, was now out of the picture. They had to think up a new plan and wait for the right moment. Again.

The door flew open at that moment. The girls all whipped their heads around to see who was entering. It was a tall man wearing a turban on his head and covering himself with the normal garb. His eyes went wide behind a pair of thin framed glasses at seeing the girls. He shouted something over his shoulder, but was drowned out by another boom.

Another man entered, being shorter than the first. The two men were dressed nearly identical and seemed to be close. In an instant, they both went to the girls and knelt down, pulling the chains closer and wedging a key in the shackles.

The girls had been scared at first, seeing the men. With the bombs going off and the guards flocking, strange men seemed like a bad idea. Yet seeing the keys that were being used to unlock the shackles made the girls trust them a little better.

In a whirlwind of motion and noise, the girls were whisked out of the room and, dodging the guards on the stairs, were soon outside the walls of the palace. Soon enough, they were joined by a third man.

Brittany could feel that they might want to move away from the men, but something about them just told her to stay. Perhaps it was their movements or maybe their heights, but she and her sisters decided to just follow. These men surely were going to help them. She just knew it.

**Oh yes...Forgot to mention...it is multi-chapter. **


	3. Chapter 3

**A very short update. And to answer a question, the girls should be about eighteen in this, if they were eight in The Chipmunk Adventure. And just to say it, this does have some twists to it. The next update should start those up. Onwards!**

It seemed as if those three guys had everything planned from the get go. They lead the girls to a nearby building before ducking inside and bringing them down a set of ancient stone stairs. It seemed the torch lit path only wen further and further down into the earth and Brittany was sure that it would continue downward forever until they ended at the beginning of a tunnel about thirty feet down.

The sounds of explosions and panic were far behind them, muffled by the layers of sand, clay, and stone. It was clear that the three strange men were the only attackers on the palace, but they played off of bombs with varying lengths of fuses and the paranoia of the entire staff.

But an air of relief filled the space around them as they made their trek in the dark. Jeanette, on occasion, was so distracted by her surroundings, trying to place the age of the structure that she kept on tripping. Eleanor was eyeing the three guys suspiciously.

Brittany just couldn't shake the wonder that she had in regard to following these guys like nothing could be more natural. Within the few moments that they were with them, their bickering, teamwork, and strange ideas seemed to just settle naturally with her. They were so familiar!

"Where are you taking us," Brittany asked in the language that she had spent the last nine years learning. She figured that she had the greatest chance of making herself understood by using that language instead of any other.

When they didn't answer, though, Brittany asked again in English, hoping that she would definitely get a response. Her question was also seconded by Eleanor.

"Quiet," one of the men spat at them rudely in English.

Brittany looked taken aback and went to respond, feeling herself growing happily annoyed with the guy who answered her. He was obviously the leader of the outfit. He flashed determined blue eyes at them and his robe was the color red. He just seemed….

Just at that moment, the girls were lead up a set of stairs and eventually found themselves in a small room. The palace spires rose above the little city about a mile away, smoke rising up into the sky in beautiful black plumes. The girls couldn't believe their luck.

"You are alive…" Brittany muttered, turning to the three men who were staring intently out the windows, trying to determine if they were followed. Her eyes remained on one, though. The blue eyed leader.

"Alvin…"


	4. Chapter 4

**A second update in one day. It's probably because these chapters are just wicked wicked short. That and I also just really want to get on with this one and want to write. I should probably do something with The Vigilante, but eh...Not feeling it for today. Maybe tomorrow. Okay then, Onwards!**

"Brittany, what are you talking about?" Eleanor approached her sister, placing a caring hand on her shoulder. She had heard Brittany call out his name, but she couldn't believe she had heard right. Eleanor knew that Dave wouldn't have given up hope if there really was any hope left. But he threw in the towel. So the girls had to as well.

Brittany turned to face her sisters. She could tell that both Eleanor and Jeanette were feeling the same way in regards to the boys and what she had said. But the pain that she felt from just being annoyed and disrespected by that guy was something that she knew deep within her from years ago. The other two were also strangely familiar to her.

Of course, she still couldn't remember exactly what he looked like. Brittany was certain that her sisters couldn't remember their counterparts as well. But she had always thought that Alvin would grow to be handsome, and this guy was nothing short of that.

"I have to be right. There is no way that the boys would just die. Think about it? Who else would come over here to get us out of there, regardless of the consequences? No one else would come for fear of war. But these three guys, on the eve of my wedding, show up with well place bombs and surprise. The tall one has glasses, and the short one seems really nice. The other has half-brained schemes."

Eleanor and Jeanette looked at each other curiously before sneaking a peek at the three that had rescued them. It was true that Jeanette could only remember Simon being tall and wearing glasses. She also could remember he was smart. Eleanor always remembered Theodore as her loveable butterball. And that's what those guys were.

Brittany didn't wait for a moment to pass for her sisters to contemplate what she said. She stepped forward with a smug smile on her face and a confidence that she thought had died years ago. It was the confidence that only he was able to bring out of her, not that she was ever lacking in it. He just made her step it up a notch.

"It's about time you guys showed up! I thought that you had given up on our little bet!" Brittany called out, placing her hands on her hips in defiance.

The three guys turned their attention to her, each wearing blank expressions. Brittany remained in her position, waiting for the inevitable comeback from him. Finally, it happened. "We didn't know that you needed us that badly?"

Instead of feeling challenged, Brittany felt overwhelming relief and she could tell that he felt the same way. She dropped her arms and walked over to him, gazing into his eyes. She slowly lifted her arms again, watching him watch her. And finally, she snaked them around his neck and she embraced her friend, tears threatening to pour from her eyes. It was almost too much for her.

It was at that moment that a large thump on the weak wooden door distracted them all from their joyous reunion. The occupants of the room braced themselves for whatever was trying to enter. But they had no time. A second hit to the door caused it to give way and in an instant, men suited in palace guard uniformed entered the room.

Two of the men moved to incapacitate two of the boys. A third moved in and tossed in a ball that thudded heavily onto the floor. In a moment, the room was filled with gas.

The girls stood back in surprise, but then moved forward to assist the boys in the fight. Eleanor and Jeanette moved to pull back a tall guy from Theodore while Brittany bent down and tossed a handful of sand at the face of a guy moving towards her. Her lungs burned with the fumes that filled the room, and her adrenaline and racing heart just caused more of the fume to enter into her body.

It seemed the others in the room were falling prey to the smoke. All were starting to stumble and cough, except for the palace guards. Brittany kept on trying to get at the one who she tried to blind. She didn't want them all to be separated again. She didn't want to go back to the palace. She didn't want to get married to him! Not when she found Alvin again.

As she fell to her knees, seeing through hazy and watery eyes that Jeanette was on the floor not moving and Eleanor struggling to get on to her knees, Brittany tried to keep herself going. But something was in that gas that was making it hard to stay awake.

The last thing she saw was a palace guard with an eye patch leaning over her.

'I don't want to be away from him again! Please just let this all be a bad dream,' she thought before falling into a deep slumber.


	5. Chapter 5

When Brittany woke up, it was dark and cold. Her face was pressed up against sand that was only warmed by her own skin, the granules shadowed by the ebb and flow of a dancing flame just a few feet away from her. With her head pounding and feeling light, she shifted her weight off of her arm and attempted to roll on to her side, shifting her eyes slowly to see where her sisters were.

Sighing with relief, Brittany was able to see Jeanette and Eleanor on either side of her. Both seemed to be stirring but not quite free of the effects of the gas that they had all inhaled. She gasped, realizing that they were gassed during the one moment that she had been hoping for during that last nine years—a reunion with Alvin and his brothers.

A quick look past the fire, and she could see the outline of a palace guard, glaring at her with small, squinting eyes, silently warning her to move from the spot that she was currently placed. But this guard wasn't fully dressed in the way he was when he encountered her earlier that day. He wasn't wearing his headwear and many parts of the official dress were missing. Instead, she could see his grizzled beard, sunburnt and damaged face and rough hands folded over his knees.

Next to him sat another looking nearly the same, although a little shorter perhaps. He seemed to have not noticed that Brittany was waking up just yet while he busied himself with preparing some sort of meal.

With Jeanette and Eleanor nearly awake, judging from their gentle whimpers at the side effects of the gas, Brittany forced herself to sit up and she returned the glare that she got from the palace guard. "Where are we?" she asked with some force in the language that she had to learn from the moment she was trapped in Cairo.

It was strange. The response she got from the guard was only a head tilt in some sort of confusion. The other had jumped in surprise and was now looking at her, the impaled scorpions on a stick just inches away from the fire. With more force and bravado, Brittany asked again.

Movement from behind her made her turn her head. Quickly, she could see her sisters rousing themselves, but the shape behind her was what caught her attention. It was another palace guard, ill-dressed and as grizzled as the others. A large scar ran across his face, from his forehead, over his right eye, and to his cheek.

With some impatience, he walked past her and began to speak to the other guards in a language that she never knew was possible. It was a series of grunts, clicks, and swallowed sounds. The two nodded their heads in response and quickly set to work extinguishing the fire with sand.

The one-eyed man turned to face the girls and gestured for them to follow. Jeanette and Eleanor were now sitting up and confused, but Brittany wasn't going to obey at all. These guys had taken them away from the boys and were now keeping them away. It was obvious that they were being tailed.

Just as she was about to scream, a rough hand clenched over her mouth and more gibberish sounded from his voice. The figure that was cooking prior to the extinguished flame came over and kneeled in front of her.

"We won't hurt you," he said in English, using a raspy voice that was more alien than human. "Just come with us."

"Never." Eleanor spoke up. She caught on to Brittany's protest and was going to keep it up.

Brittany reached down and took a handful of sand, throwing it into the face of her one-eyed captor. In an instant, Eleanor and Brittany had taken a hold of Jeanette and the three were stumbling down the sand dunes in the direction that seemed most likely to lead them back to Cairo.

The guards were hot on their heels. As Jeanette fell behind, Brittany knew that she had to do something. The two sisters turned around just as Jeanette was over-taken by a guard. As Eleanor went to pry the guard off of Jeanette, the second guard managed to over-power her. The remaining guard, the one who Brittany had woken up to, approached her slowly. His presence trying to reassure her that everything was all right.

He reached out his hand and was approaching slowly, attempting to touch her. Brittany grabbed the hand and threw his whole body away from her. The two other guards cried out and Brittany could see the guards' feet trying to gain hold on the sand. But she was surprised to see there was only one foot while the other was a worn stump of a stick.

In the confusion of the surprise, Brittany found herself overtaken. In a very short amount of time, Brittany found herself and her sisters tied up and gagged, watching helplessly behind them at the distancing lights that were searching for them on the dunes.

'We have to get away,' Brittany thought to herself. 'I need to get back to him.'

**I am also on the computer today to update 'The Vigilante'. So I hope you enjoy!**


	6. Chapter 6

The fight to get free was currently futile and Brittany had to relent for now. During the night, the group had come across a Bedouin camp and one of the guards had stolen a camel. With as much dignity as sacks of flour, the girls were put up on it, their legs hanging off of one side and their heads dangling on the other. They were still tied, but after the group was a great distance from the camp, the gags in their mouths were removed. By this time, it was only about a hour before the sun would come up over the horizon and scorch the dunes.

"We have to get away from these guys." Jeanette muttered in Arabic, picking up her head to try and see the other side of the camel where Brittany's head was.

"I know." Brittany spat back.

"What is the plan?" Eleanor asked. She and Jeanette were both facing the other side of the camel, so Brittany felt like she was speaking to her sister's butts.

"We need to wait until they let their guards down. And keep an eye on them. We need weaknesses, like always."

"But even if we do escape from them, we don't know where we are! And it doesn't seem like they are following a map or a compass." Jeanette moaned, thinking further down the line.

Brittany glanced over at them. The one that spoke in raspy English had his head turned around at them, trying to see or understand what they were talking about. "I thought that you could navigate with the stars?"

Jeanette shook her head, but then realized that her sister could barely see her. "Not very well. I wouldn't be confident in it."

"In any case, we will come across another camp or town soon enough, so keep your eyes open for weaknesses!"

Brittany turned her head to those guys in thought. They must have been mercenaries, hired to kidnap them and hold them for ransom. The girls were in a big international scandal at the moment, and the area was in a lot of political unrest. And with the way they all seemed to have been injured at some point in time, the idea that they were mercenaries was a huge explanation.

"Will you all be quiet?" the raspy voice asked wearily.

"Why?" Brittany shot back angrily. She had to admit, speaking in English to anyone was now a foreign concept to her. She hadn't done it in so long.

The mercenary was about to reply when the one-eyed cretin, who was a little distance ahead of them, shouted something out and came running back to them. In an instant, a large group of men on horses came over the next dune and straight to them.

Brittany instantly recognized that it must have been the boys. They were always dramatic in their own way, and this just had to be them. As the camel was turning around with the mercenaries leading it, Brittany shouted an order to her sisters.

The three girls began to wiggle and move about on the camel, attempting with all their might to get off of it. It was anything to slow the group down from their possible escape over the desert. Brittany had made it off first and landed with a thud, nearly right under the hooves of the camel.

The one-eyed man attempted to grab a hold of her, but Jeanette had fallen off, face first, right into him. Eleanor then landed on the other side. The men attempted to move them, but from the speed that they were being pursued, the three quickly retreated over the dune, leading the camel with them.

In no time, the girls were found. Brittany beamed in happiness, seeing the man that she knew was Alvin leading the rescue. She held back from throwing herself at him, but she was still more than happy to see her long lost rival. And although she hated to admit it, she owed him big time.

As the girls were being untied, Brittany and Eleanor gushed their thanks. Over that, orders were being shouted out to go after those mercenaries and to bring their girls back to Cairo. It was then that Jeanette heard something strange. It was a timeline. They had to be brought back to Cairo within the next half day.

"Brittany," Jeanette whispered, trying to get Brittany's attention. But Brittany was hard to talk to sometimes. "Brittany!"

"What?" she asked.

Jeanette then switched to English and whispered quickly. "They need to bring us back to Cairo by noon today."

"So? They probably have a deal with the American Embassy or something."

"No, that's not how it works. This doesn't seem right. Why would the American Embassy send out an unofficial force after us and risk war with Egypt? And that they have to do it in half a day. Also, why wouldn't they just send the Army? Something just isn't right!"

"Jeanette, stop worrying! You know how Alvin can be. There is always a way to get something done. He's the king at that."

Jeanette shook her head. She had been living the dream with Brittany that the boys had to still be alive. Eleanor had watched this all and she was soon thinking the very same thing. She was also thinking that if these guys were their long lost friends, why hadn't they approached them with some friendly banter or a joke?

"Brittany," Eleanor spoke calmly but firmly, the side of her that would prove to be an excellent mother. "I hate to say this, but I need to. Jeanette is right, this isn't normal. Also, the boys are dead and we will be too, if we don't get out of this mess."

**Wow, three posts in one day? I must be feeling sick! haha But then again, Diamond Dolls doesn't require long chapters, so it's easier to write. Well, thanks for reading and for your support!**


	7. Chapter 7

The shock of hearing Jeanette and Eleanor say the things that Brittany refused to believe managed to put Brittany in the state of mind that she needed to be in. Even if the rescue was lead by Alvin and the boys, they would have revealed themselves by now. Especially Theodore, if Brittany remembered him right. But perhaps the world was right, and Alvin was never going to come back.

At the edge of her foot, Brittany could feel a sharp rock. She pushed it, feeling it give way in the sand. It was not too embedded. She reached down quickly and slammed the rock quickly into the nearest head before grabbing a hold of her sisters and leading them down into the desert.

She could hear the force following after them as she pushed her sisters towards an outcropping of jagged boulders and stones. If there was any place to hide them, it would be in there. And as she hurried, hearing the men grow closer, a stroke of luck emerged on the horizon, blocking the rising sun: a sandstorm.

It wasn't the most ideal, but it would certainly help them in their escape. The girls had just reached the crevices, squeezing their way into the narrow space that was much too small for their pursuers as the sand lashed at the rocks. The sounds of the chase dimmed to a muffled whisper against the roar of the wind and sand on the rocks.

The girls covered their mouths with their veils, trying to keep the sand and dust from entering their lungs as they went further and further into the stone. Finally, they had seemed to enter a small natural shelter that was only lit by a small opening towards the base of the sand. The girls stopped to catch their breath and listen for any sound of the men that would follow them. But there was nothing but wind and sand.

For now, they were safe and they found themselves huddling against each other, trying to keep their warmth, until they fell to sleep.

When they awoke, it took Brittany a little while to remember all that had happened and where they were. The rock shelter was suffocating with heat, but she knew that it would be hotter on the outside. There were no other sounds around them but the hush of the little red cavern. But it was much darker than it was. The little hole to the outside was nearly filled with the sand from the storm.

Their throats were extremely dry and their eyes itched with the sand. But Brittany knew they couldn't stay where they were. They had to get to safety, whichever direction that may be. She had to protect her sisters and they needed to find some water.

"Jeanette, search around and see if you can see any natural springs or anything. Eleanor, you and I are going to dig to see if we can get out of here through that space," Brittany ordered, pointing to the little possible exit. The girls all groaned in complaint and thirst, but they followed the directions.

Unfortunately, Jeanette didn't locate anything that they could use for food or drink. The cave was nearly barren, except for a nest of spiders. The discovery just made Brittany and Eleanor dig faster until, with some effort, the three girls shimmied their way out and into the sweltering sun.

The desert stretched on forever in the directions that the girls could see. The sun mirrored off of the golden sand in heat waves, blinding the girls as they looked. To their backs was the rock formation that they had called home for the morning, the time of day in which it would have been better for them to travel. Now, judging by the sun, it was well into the afternoon.

"We need to wait until the sun goes lower," Jeanette spoke. "We would be in trouble if we walk out there right now."

"We're in trouble now, but maybe we should look around and see if we can find anything," Eleanor suggested, walking to the right of the rock formation.

Brittany followed sullenly. She really missed that gilded cage back at the palace. They weren't free there, but at least they had food and water. And a bath.

As the girls went around, they kept their eyes open for food or water and their ears open for any sounds of danger. They had heard stories of the various animals that called the desert home, and they knew that all those evil people were probably still searching for them. They had to be careful.

Just as they reached the north side of the rock, they began to see old, dead trees and dried grass. Hurriedly, they climbed over a pile of rock and peered over the side. It was an oasis with very little water and plant life, but still, it had water. But before the girls moved, another shape caught their eyes.

In the water were three men. At first they looked as if they were travelers across the desert, but Brittany could clearly see a wooded leg on one. It was those mercenaries that had brought them out to this place to begin with!

"Maybe we should wait until they go?" Jeanette asked timidly, recognizing them and wearing a small blush. The three men were nude and bathing.

"Like hell." Brittany wanted that water and she would do whatever she could do to get it.

"I agree with Brittany. Besides, they still have the camel. We could use that." Eleanor began to shimmy down, staying close to the rock. Brittany followed and then Jeanette, all being as quiet as they could. Along the way, Brittany saw Eleanor pick up a large, dry stick and Brittany followed suit. They were going to take what they needed by force.

The girls neared the men slowly, thanking the powers that be that they had finished bathing and were at least partially dressed by the time that the girls were nearer. Eleanor moved behind the narrow and sparse trees, trying to get close to the camel. She listened as those mercenaries chatted in their strange language, but she was sure they hadn't noticed the girls yet.

Just as Eleanor reached out to the reins of the camel to untie it, Eleanor and Brittany both heard a familiar sound. Jeanette had just tripped. Eleanor turned to glare at Jeanette, the men noticed the girls and exclaimed in anger, and Brittany jumped ahead, wielding her stick and ready to fight.

"Back off! Just stay where you are and no one gets hurt," she commanded, pointing the stick from one man to another. "We're taking the camel and your supplies and going home. And you aren't going to stop us!"

The three men seemed a little surprised at the command and were further surprised when Eleanor and Jeanette seconded it. "Also, you will…um…p-point us i-i-i-in the right direction, t-too!" Jeanette put in at last. She had remembered that the girls had no idea where they needed to go.

The standstill seemed to last a little while, one man squinting hard, the one-eyed man looking confused, and the other looked unsure. Finally, the one-eyed man clicked out some orders and the other nodded his head.

"Sure," the raspy voice said, looking pained as he spoke. "We were taking you there anyway, but if you want to go by yourselves, then okay."

"What!?" the girls asked.

With some more clicking and grunting, the English speaking one translated. "We heard of your problem and decided to get you home. We were taking you to Libya and one of the American Embassy's there."

"Why didn't you just say so?" Eleanor asked, keeping her stick poised and ready to strike.

The man swallowed hard and struggled to continue speaking. "You never gave us the chance."

"How can we trust you? You tied and gagged us, remember?"

Some more clicks and the guy took in a deep breath to continue with his struggle. "You just need to trust us. But we can't travel right now. We need to wait until dark. But if you want to go along, that's fine. But we're going the same way and will be following you the entire time anyway."

The girls looked from one to the other, thinking hard about what they strange man was saying. Finally, Jeanette had one more question. "Why do you care so much? Who are you?"

With a little more discussion on their part, the man interpreted the answer. "We are monks who go around doing good. That's all." His voiced seemed to die out at that point and he shook his head, holding on to his throat.

The girls huddled together, talking with each other about what they were going to do. Although they were capable, they had spent close to a decade in captivity inside a room in a tall tower. They had lost a lot of their resourcefulness or at least their confidence. And if these guys were going that way to begin with, perhaps they could be of use for a little while.

"Besides," Brittany said, confidently looking at of the strange monks to another, "we will be better prepared to escape next time. One has only one leg and is blind, one seems to be naturally uncoordinated, and the other has no depth perception with just one eye."

She turned to face the monks and nodded her head. "Fine, we will stay with you for a while. But no funny business or else!" She swung the stick to make her point clear. The monks just stared and then shook their heads, turning around to sit by the oasis and wait for the sun to go down.

**In the zone, in the zone. But alas, it is time for bed since I have to work tomorrow. Ah well, at least I'm getting my steam up and running again. I just forgot how fun it was to write. Thank for reading!**


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